Page 77 of Unbossly Manners

“Derrick and Isaac aren’t part of the problem, they’re part of the solution,” I said.

Jackson smiled. “Luckily, Analise was able to calm them down and the issue was dropped.”

“Why did they have an issue anyway? It was so out of the blue,” I said. “Who put those thoughts in their heads? I think when we figure that out, we’ll have answers to everything, including who tried to drug Derrick.”

“You’re right. I should have gotten to this sooner.” Jackson nodded vigorously like he was having an aha-moment. “The company isn’t falling apart. Someone is tearing it apart from the inside."

twenty-nine

I leaned against a large boulder a bit off the path, my mind racing.

“There was also that thing with Jay and Rashid. Didn’t Derrick and Isaac show up for some event and they weren’t there? They thought the function was moved to another date. Oh, and,” my voice raised excitedly as everything began to click into place. “A few weeks ago Analise had several things deleted from her schedule, and that sex education podcast we were thinking of bringing into the company… it was a hot mess when they visited. Their hotel reservation was canceled, their Uber never showed up at the airport… that kind of stuff.”

Jackson crossed his arms, his short sleeves rolled up over his forearms. I stared at them, an image of his arms around me flashing in my mind.

Since the night of the unfortunate incident, I’d had a warm and familiar feeling in my belly when I was with Jackson. Like after you spend all night staying up chatting with someone. My body had a deeper connection with him but my conscious mind didn’t remember why.

“When we get back, let’s write down everything we can think of,” I said, shaking the strange feeling away. “Every little mishap. I can think of a dozen right now.”

We reached the summit and sat on a patch of grass overlooking the valley.

“I feel good.” He stretched his arms above his head, then handed me a water bottle from his bag. “We have a plan and I think we’re getting close to the answer.”

The warm wind tickled my cheek and I soaked in the beauty; the mountain range, the valley below, the sun above, and Jackson by my side.

Another vignette flashed in my mind—Jackson’s face close, heavy breathing, hearts pounding.

“What happened the night of the Fourth of July party?” I blurted, overpowered by the feelings coursing through me.

He stilled next to me.

“I thought you’d be sick of talking about it by now.”

Not an answer, I noted.

“I don’t mean at the party. I mean what happened when we got back to your apartment?” I gulped down the water.

Jackson was gazing at the treetops below, but a tendon in his cheek flexed, his chest rising and falling rapidly as if we were still hiking up the mountain.

“I told you, we went to the hospital and after the tests, the doctor said you needed to be monitored, so I took you back to my place where you fell asleep.”

“Is that all I did? Sleep?” I studied him, watching for any tells that he was lying.

He closed his eyes, rubbing the lids with his fingers. “No.”

“Did I get on a table and dance the cha-cha? Did we have a so-called lesson?”

Jackson popped his eyes open, a deep blush covering his neck and cheeks. “Our clothes stayed on the whole time.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

Jackson kicked a small rock with his toe and it skidded into the brush. “You wanted to be held, so I held you.”

“And…” I raised my eyebrows.

He shifted, facing me, his lips pressed together in a slight grimace. “Would it worry you if we did more?”

I crunched my empty water bottle between my hands and shoved it in my bag. “I’m more worried that you’re lying to me. Did we fool around? Did you face fuck me?”

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